Posts Tagged ‘Tough Enough’

Renee Young-Nikki Bella Preview, John Cena On Tough Enough, SummerSlam Poll

– As previously noted, the next episode of “Unfiltered with Renee Young” on the WWE Network will air tonight and will be a 30-minute interview with WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella.

A preview for the interview is shown above, it appears that even Renee herself wasn’t aware that the episode was going to air for 30-minutes after she tweeted at the beginning of the month:

https://twitter.com/ReneeYoungWWE/status/627613612522102784

https://twitter.com/ReneeYoungWWE/status/627614131252662272

– The WWE website has a poll asking if John Cena should accept Seth Rollins’ “Winner Takes All” match at SummerSlam later this month.

The two options available are “Yes! A broken nose can’t stop the champ!” or “No, Cena should forfeit his U.S. Title.” You can cast your vote at this link.

– On the topic of John Cena, the WWE have released a video to hype up his appearance on Tough Enough next Tuesday on the USA Network. Check it out above.

John Cena hasn’t been seen on WWE Television since Seth Rollins broke his nose during the main event on RAW which led to Rollins releasing a t-shirt mocking the situation.

Tough Enough Digital Extras: ZZ Offers Chelsea Advice, Lita On Sara Lee, And More

As shown in the video above, on last night’s episode of Tough Enough, Chelsea was the latest competitor to be eliminated from the competition after Paige saved Gigi.

If Gigi hadn’t been saved by Paige, she would have been the one to go home, instead Chelsea was next in line and was given the boot.

The WWE’s YouTube account has shared a couple of Digital Extra videos. The first shows ZZ giving Chelsea advice following her elimination, who also talks with the remaining girls about leaving.

The second video shows Tough Enough coach Lita speaking with Renee Young about Sara Lee’s slam on Gigi which caused quite a bit of discussion during the show.

Several Videos Shared From Today’s Tough Enough Challenge

As shown in the tweets below, while Chelsea was eliminated from Tough Enough last night, the show must go on and the remaining competitors are back into the ring for more training.

The Tough Enough Twitter account has sent out a series of videos throughout the day regarding today’s challenge which tackles the art of storytelling.

You can check out the tweets below:

Lita Gives Sara Lee Advice, Bayley Teasing RAW Appearance, Dana Brooke Talks Main Roster Work

– In the Tough Enough Digital Extra video shown above, Sara Lee seeks out some advice from Lita with regards to what she’s doing in the ring.

Lita explains that watching Sara is tough in the ring because she has to watch her go through a mental checklist of everything before she does a move, which leads the move coming off “crappy.”

– Bayley, who has been off NXT TV lately due to an injury sent out the following tweet ahead of tonight’s episode of RAW which will take place in San Jose, California:

– This weekend, NXT’s Dana Brooke was on the road with the main roster and in a match with Cameron, Emma and Natalya in Hidalgo, Texas.

“The Total Diva” as she calls herself took to Twitter following the match and shared a photo of the four of them competing which can be seen below:

Jim Ross Q&A: WWE HOF Induction Process, Tough Enough/Total Divas & More

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated the Q&A section of his official website, answering questions from fans on a variety of topics. Below are some of the highlights.

On who decides which legends are inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame: “I assume [Vince] McMahon makes the final decisions, but I can’t be sure as I don’t work there any longer but I’ve had the opportunity in the past when I did work there to make suggestions.”

On William Regal: “He’s in a good spot with his current responsibilities working with NXT and scouting indy wrestlers. He’s a great performer as well.”

On if he thinks shows like Total Divas and Tough Enough expose and hurt the business: “I think that we are well passed the world of going too far as it relates to the curtain being pulled back. So, no I don’t think that those types of shows hurt the business.”

On comedy in wrestling: “Comedy has its place if it is well executed and timely not to mention organic. Forced and poorly presented it is a turn off.”

Check out more JR Q&A updates at his official website, JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

Tough Enough: More On WWE Officials And ZZ, Who Is Vince McMahon’s Favourite?

As previously reported, F4Wonline.com noted that WWE officials want ZZ eliminated from the Tough Enough competition on the next episode.

WWE released a clip on YouTube showing coach Billy Gunn addressing all the competitors and in particular ZZ due to their in-ring performance not being up to the standard it should be at.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that Tough Enough producers are “over” ZZ because of the way he backed down to Mada on the last episode.

At the end of the day however, it’s not up to the Tough Enough producers as the weekly vote is left in the hands of the viewing public – and ZZ continues to be increasingly popular among fans each week.

It’s also been noted that Vince McMahon’s favourite competitor since day one is Josh and he reportedly wants him to win the competition.

Check out the video below of Tough Enough coach Billy Gunn addressing the competitors:

Tough Enough: WWE Officials Reportedly Want Competitor Eliminated On Tuesday

As we reported yesterday, the WWE released a Tough Enough Digital Extra video showing coach Billy Gunn addressing the competitors and in particular ZZ over their in-ring performance.

According to F4Wonline.com they note that the clip was released because officials within WWE want ZZ eliminated from the competition after this week.

Dave Meltzer notes that he was under the impression that WWE had set things up for ZZ to be eliminated last week but fans weren’t manipulated in that way so ZZ remained for another week.

If you haven’t seen the video released yesterday, check it out below:

Billy Gunn Addresses ZZ’s Performance On Tough Enough, Next Week’s Challenge

– In the Tough Enough Digital Extra video shown above the cameras catch Billy Gunn losing his cool with the competitors and in particular ZZ over their in-ring performance at this stage in the competition.

On the Tough Enough Twitter account, a short video was also shared showing ZZ in the ring with Booker T and NXT’s Jason Jordan also reacting:

– As noted yesterday Darren Young and Titus O’Neil (The Prime Time Players) were confirmed as the guests for next week’s show and were photographed on the back of a fire truck.

The Tough Enough Twitter account has since shared a number of photos showing the challenge the competitors faced with the Orange County Fire & Rescue Department in Florida:

 

Chris Jericho Shares His Opinion On Hulk Hogan And The Miz Replacing Him On Tough Enough

Chris Jericho is the latest wrestler to speak out regarding Hulk Hogan and his racist comments that left him terminated from his position within the WWE last Friday.

Jericho discussed the controversy on the most recent episode of his podcast Talk Is Jericho where he also interviewed “Mr. Belding” aka Dennis Haskins of “Saved By The Bell.”

“All I know is that Hulk has always been a nice guy to me and I’ve seen him sign hundreds and hundreds of autographs for kids, waiting for an airplane and I was there standing next to him,” Jericho explained.

“It doesn’t excuse what he said. I’m not saying anything about that. I’m just saying I think he has got a good heart and was maybe caught in the wrong place, saying things that he shouldn’t have said, but all you can say is that I hope Hulk rebounds and comes back from this and I hope he digs down deep inside and finds out what kind of a person he really is.”

“And I think, if he can do that, then people will get a chance to see the real Hulk and terrible, terrible situation and Hulk should not have put himself in that position. Like I said, man, it’s a tough thing. A lot of times, friends do things that you wish they hadn’t have done, but you don’t abandon them completely.”

Chris Jericho also shared his thoughts on The Miz replacing Hulk Hogan as a judge on Tough Enough and admitted that he believes the show now has “more energy than it had before.”

“[I’m] sorry to see Hulk Hogan go, but I think in the long run, Miz might not have the tenure that Hulk has, but he has more personality in the soundbites and maybe a little bit more passion,” Jericho said.

You can listen to the full interview with Dennis Haskins of “Saved By The Bell” on Talk Is Jericho by clicking on this link.

Vince McMahon Comments On Hulk Hogan, Prime Time Players On Tough Enough,

– On WWE’s Second Quarter Results conference call for 2015 which took place earlier today (a breakdown can be found at this link) Vince McMahon commented on Hulk Hogan.

Vince McMahon explained that Hulk Hogan is no longer associated with the WWE and that it would have no “material effect” on the company.

– WWE have confirmed that on next week’s episode of Tough Enough Titus O’Neil and Darren Young – better known as The Prime Time Players would be the special guests.

They posted the following photo of the current WWE Tag Team Champions on their Instagram account, meanwhile the Tough Enough Twitter account posted a Vine, also shown below.

https://instagram.com/p/5xEo6uAFGG/

Tough Enough: Mada Reacts To His Elimination, The Miz Saving Amanda, And More

On Tough Enough this week, Mada was the latest competitor to be eliminated from the show in a moment that no one could have predicted after The Miz saved Amanda.

The former hopeful has since spoken out about his elimination from the show and how that left him feeling, he’s also discussed Amanda being saved by The Miz and what’s next for him.

Mada spoke with SportingNews.com and the full interview can be read over at this link. Check out some highlights from the interview below:

If he was angry at being eliminated from the show:

“Yeah, I was definitely angry. I’m a competitor and I hate to lose, especially when I know I should have won. That makes it even worse. If I lose and I deserve to lose, that’s fine. I believe in my heart — and a lot of people out there believed me too — that I shouldn’t have went home last night. That’s life sometimes and you just have to roll with the punches. I’ve got my head held up high and I’m ready to take the next step.”

What The Miz was trying to achieve by saving Amanda:

“I’m not really sure what he was trying to do. I can’t really speculate on his intentions. I don’t know why he called me out in the bottom three and saved Amanda. His reason for putting me in the bottom three was I played the ‘blame game’ for whatever that means. You’re going to have to ask him that question. I’m dying to find the answer to it. I don’t really know the reason for it. Some people were telling me he was targeting me for some reason but, to be honest, I have no idea why. But again, it is what it is and now it’s time to move on.”

What’s next for Mada now that his journey on Tough Enough is over:

“Next step is getting my foot in the door with NXT, getting back here to Orlando at the Performance Center. This is a state-of-the-art facility. They have the best coaches and training in the world. Right now, I’m heading up to Washington, D.C. tonight to see my family and Patrick (Clark, who was previously eliminated from the show). I’m going to meet up with him tomorrow and get some training in the ring. With me, there’s no days off. Everybody says go spend time with your family and relax. Have a vacation. For me, there’s no days off. I want this. I getting right back in the ring. I want to get better. I want to get back here with NXT and hopefully from there with WWE.”

WWE Tough Enough Rating Drops, Total Divas Rating Increases

– The Tuesday, July 28th edition of WWE Tough Enough on the USA Network averaged 980,000 viewers for the first episode to air following the Hulk Hogan racism controversy. Viewership was down this week compared to the 1.144 million viewers who tuned into the program last week.

– This week’s edition of WWE Total Divas, which also aired on Tuesday night, drew 1.083 million viewers on the E! network. Viewership for Total Divas was up this week compared to last week’s show, which averaged 995,000 viewers.

Jim Ross Interviews Tough Enough’s Patrick Clark, Tough Talk Video

– The latest edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast, which is available now, features an interview with WWE Tough Enough’s Patrick Clark. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

– Speaking of Tough Enough, below is this week’s “Tough Talk” post-show from the WWE Network.

Shawn Michaels Replacing Hulk Hogan On Live Tour, Tough Enough Videos

– WWE has confirmed that Shawn Michaels will be replacing Hulk Hogan as the General Manager of the upcoming live events tour of Australia from August 6-8.

Michaels will be the GM for shows at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on August 6th, Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on August 7th and Sydney’s Qantas Credit Union Arena on August 8th.

Australian fans hoping to get their hands on tickets can do so by clicking this link.

– Following his elimination on Tough Enough, the WWE posted a number of videos featuring Mada speaking with Chris Jericho, Paige and his fellow competitors. Check them out below:

WWE Offering SummerSlam Raffle, Specials Guests Confirmed For Tough Enough

– As shown in the video above, WWE are holding a SummerSlam raffle with the grand prize including tickets to all three WWE events.

That’s not all as the winner will get a pizza tour with WWE legends, breakfast with WWE Superstars and much much more. More information can be found at this link.

– After the male competitors on Tough Enough came face-to-face with the Big Show, the female competitors will come face-to-face with Team Bad (Sasha Banks, Naomi and Tamina).

It should also be noted that Cesaro will be appearing on the show as well. It’s not yet confirmed who will be taking Hulk Hogan’s place at the judge’s table.

Bret Hart A Strong Contender To Replace Hulk Hogan On Tough Enough?

On Friday the news broke that Hulk Hogan had been released from his WWE contract and removed from their websites after making racist comments.

Since then everyone began asking who would be taking over his role as a judge on Tough Enough alongside Daniel Bryan and Paige.

Bryan Alvarez of F4Wonline.com had said Ric Flair was a contender while the likes of Chris Jericho and The Miz were also mentioned.

The three coaches – Billy Gunn, Booker T and Lita have also been mentioned as coming on as judges in some sort of a rotation each week to join Daniel Bryan and Paige.

Nothing has been clarified as of yet however WrestleZone.com have reported that Bret Hart had been flown in to meet with Vince McMahon about taking over Hulk’s role.

Hulk Hogan Comments On Controversy Again, More Hogan Controversy Fallout

Hulk Hogan has issued another statement on social media, this time thanking his family, friends and business partners for supporting him. Hogan tweeted the following:

Due to the Hulk Hogan controversy, WWE has pulled Tough Enough replays from the USA Network’s On Demand service. As noted, Hogan will no longer be appearing on the show, and is rumored to be replaced by Ric Flair.

Backstage News On Vince McMahon Treating WWE Tough Enough As Top Priority

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon reportedly views WWE Tough Enough as such a priority that he has skipped every WWE SmackDown television taping since the show premiered so that he could be live at Full Sail University in Florida.

Generally speaking, McMahon attends every Tuesday night SmackDown television taping, however he, along with longtime WWE Executive Producer Kevin Dunn, have made Tough Enough a priority over the show for the past few weeks.

(Credit: PWInsider.com)

Ric Flair To Replace Hulk Hogan On WWE Tough Enough?

It appears as though WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair is the leading candidate to replace Hulk Hogan on WWE Tough Enough.

The news broke this week that Hogan was fired from WWE and removed from Tough Enough after an alleged racist rant from Hogan was caught on tape.

In addition to replacing Hogan on Tough Enough, Flair is rumored to be the man who will replace Hogan on the upcoming WWE tour of Australia.

WWE Tough Enough & Total Divas Ratings For This Week

– The Tuesday, July 21st edition of WWE Tough Enough on the USA Network averaged 1.144 million viewers. Viewership was up compared to last week’s show, which drew 997,000 viewers.

– This week’s edition of WWE Total Divas, which also aired on Tuesday, July 21st, averaged 995,000 viewers on the E! Network. Viewership was down from last week’s show, which delivered 1.031 million viewers.

Mick Foley Elaborates On Reason He’s Done Watching WWE Tough Enough

After claiming he is done with WWE Tough Enough after Tuesday’s elimination, WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley elaborated on his thoughts on the show in a new blog posted on his official Facebook page.

Foley wrote the following:

ENOUGH’S ENOUGH

With the elimination of Patrick, two weeks after the dismissal of Daria, I’m officially tapping out on ?#?ToughEnough?. In order for a future season to seem relevant, WWE needed a guy who could step into a role on the main roster within a year’s time. Sure, there are some promising prospects left – but each one is a long-term project, and a roll of the dice. Patrick was the real deal and now he’s gone…along with this particular viewer.

What are your thoughts on this episode and season of Tough Enough?

From there, Foley would go on to reply to some of the comments on the post. You can check out the discussion at Facebook.com/RealMickFoley.

Mick Foley Says He’s Done Watching Tough Enough After This Week’s Elimination

Mick Foley has declared that after this week’s WWE Tough Enough episode, he is officially done watching the show. The WWE Hall Of Famer posted the following comments immediately after watching tonight’s episode.

https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/623657534126211072

https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/623660857927540736

https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/623661873322422272

https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/623671027730644993

Undertaker Advertised For October Tour Of Mexico, Tough Enough Preview

– Mexican media outlets Medio Tiempo, El Universal and Terra Mexico are all advertising The Undertaker for the WWE Mexico tour taking place in October. WWE will run shows in Merida on Friday 10/16, Mexico City on 10/17 and Monterrey on 10/18.

– Big Show announced on RAW that he’ll be appearing on tonight’s episode of Tough Enough on the USA Network. Show teased that he’ll deliver the Knockout Punch to some of the contestants and questioned if they will be ‘tough enough’ to handle it. Natalya will also be appearing on the show.

NXT Preview For Next Week, Tough Enough Injury Update, Stephanie Hosts Rally

– WWE Tough Enough competitor Chelsea suffered an ankle injury earlier this week and visited with doctors on Saturday. WWE posted the following photo of her getting checked out.

https://instagram.com/p/5SC-oPzCZG/

– Stephanie McMahon, Renee Young, Big E., Xavier Woods and Natalya hosted an anti-bullying rally at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stamford, Connecticut this week. Below are some photos from the event.

– Below is a preview for next week’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network.

Seth Rollins Trashes Tough Enough Cast, Fires Back At Johnny Mundo & More

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins recently appeared as a guest on the PodNasty Wrestling Podcast. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On upcoming match against Brock Lesnar being the biggest of his career: “I feel like I’ve had a lot of ‘biggest matches of my career’ up until this point. I would say this one is certainly special. I mean, there’s not a lot of guys who get the opportunity to go one-on-one with Brock Lesnar at this point in his career, so to be one of those guys to main event a pay-per-view with Brock Lesnar over a very prestigious title it all adds up to being certainly one of if not—I’ll leave that up to you and the other media pundits to decide what is the biggest match of my career—but it certainly ranks up there with the very, very biggest of my career.”

On the U.S. title vs. the WWE title and competing with John Cena: “(The WWE World Heavyweight Championship) is (the most dominant title in the company) no matter what, no matter who is wearing what other title, this is the big boy, this is the one that everybody wants and if John (Cena) tells you any different he’s a liar,” said Rollins.

“But the bottom line, though, is that I’m always competing with John Cena, John’s a guy who has set the bar extremely high for the past 10, 12-15 years, he’s a guy who—not only in the ring, but outside the ring—is an example of what a WWE Superstar should be and he has put in the work over that period of time to prove that and that’s definitely something I strive to be as well. I strive to have that work ethic and instill that in people around me the way John has over the past decade and a half so I’m always competing with John Cena in my mind, but my title is the title and there’s definitely no doubt about that.”

On Tough Enough contestants not standing out: “Not one person stood out to me (on Tough Enough. Not a single one, nope, not one. I went down there and I tried to help them out, give them a few pointers here and there, let them know what it takes to be a star but, let me tell you, those kids got it easy.

“They don’t know anything about anything when it comes to putting in the time, they think they’re going to get through this little three-month course and they’re going to be WWE Superstars and they’re going to be famous, and rich and travel the world. That’s not how it works, it’s a whole lot of hard work and I think they’re going to figure that out along the way, or they’re going to fall by the wayside. For me, I didn’t see a whole lot, maybe as they move along in the process they’ll show more personality and a little more guts, but for now I’m not holding my breath.”

If there will be any tension between Tough Enough winners and WWE/NXT talent: “Absolutely, that’s what I’m talking about. Tough Enough is phenomenal, it’s great, don’t get me wrong. It pushes WWE out into the masses and everyone can see it’s physical and they get an inside look at kind of what it’s like to be a WWE Superstar,” said Rollins.

“But at the same time you’ve got to understand that’s not all that it takes, you don’t just get to be on a reality gameshow and all of a sudden you’re just a top star in 12 weeks. They’re going to have to put in a lot of time, and a lot of hard work, and they’re going to have to sacrifice a lot of relationships, they’re going to be injured often, it’s going to take a toll on them physically and emotionally that they’re not prepared for and I think it will be very interesting to see who comes out of Tough Enough, who really is Tough Enough I guess when you look at it. Who’s going to come out of it alive and who’s going to make a success out of themselves?”

On John Morrison recently stating he would destroy Seth Rollins in everything: “If I’m not mistaken, I believe John Morrison is a zero-time WWE World Heavyweight champion. Mind you, zero. As in never once did he win the big one. And I’m, what, not even three years into my WWE career and I’ve already won Money in the Bank, won the WWE title at WrestleMania, first-ever NXT champion so there’s a lot of things that I’ve already destroyed John Morrison at and if John Morrison thinks he can take me in any of those endeavors, I would love for John Morrison to step up and say something like that to my face.”

Check out the complete interview above.